


sweeter than sugar

by nanamilks



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, American AU, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sugar Baby Hwang Hyunjin, Threesome - M/M/M, also sugar baby felix, and his daddy changbin, and his two daddies minho and chris, hyunjin deserves the world and he knows it, this takes place in new york city
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:09:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27691177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanamilks/pseuds/nanamilks
Summary: [new message] Minho & Chris:Hi pretty! We just found your profile and wanted to say that you seem incredible. Would love to talk sometime if you're interested!They're both very well dressed in pieces that look more expensive than anything Hyunjin owns. They look gorgeous together, always wrapped around each other or kissing or gazing at each other like one hung the sun in the sky and the other hung the moon. The massive rock on the blonde's ring finger has Hyunjin's eyes blown wide.(or: hyunjin tries his luck at scoring a sugar daddy. he kind of hits the jackpot.)
Relationships: Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 82
Kudos: 499





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came to me randomly after seeing pictures of hyunjin looking particularly expensive and i ran with it ♡

It was only ever a joke.

A plan that Hyunjin never really intended to carry out, a passing comment he made every now and then when his paycheck wasn’t as much as he thought it’d be, or he was a little short for what he wanted to get for lunch and had to settle for something else. He didn’t know the first thing about making his silly little idea become reality, but maybe he said and thought it so many times that he’d ended up manifesting it.

“You know how you’re always saying you want a sugar daddy?” Felix plops himself down on Hyunjin’s bed, lying across it like he’s posing for a centerfold. Hyunjin frowns at him over his laptop, fingers frozen where they’ve been hashing out the beginning of his literature paper. 

“I’m not _always_ saying that,” Hyunjin disagrees, pulling his notebook from underneath Felix’s hip and setting it beside him so he can see it again. “You say it just as much!”

“I know I do, which leads me to my next point,” the smile spreading across Felix’s mouth speaks nothing but trouble. Hyunjin shakes his head and continues typing.

“If you’re about to tell me some scheme you came up with in the shower, I don’t want to hear it.” 

Felix shakes his head, smile never faltering. He waits for Hyunjin to look up at him again before he explains, “I have a date with one this weekend.”

Hyunjin deadpans, smacking Felix on the thigh hard enough for the sound to echo through his bedroom and for Felix to shriek with all the drama he can. “Don’t come in here with that bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit! I really do!” Felix sits up, grabbing one of Hyunjin’s throw pillows and hurling it at him. He pulls his phone from the pocket of his hoodie and starts tapping and scrolling through it. “This girl Sena in my biology lab has one that she’s always talking about, and she always wears really nice clothes and seems like she throws amazing pussy, so you know, I believed her. A couple of weeks ago I asked her how she met him, and she showed me the website she met hers on.”

Hyunjin blinks. “Felix.”

“I swear I’m not playing around! Look.”

Hyunjin is dumbfounded, and it only intensifies when Felix scoots to sit beside him, letting him look through his phone with him. Felix tells him the whole story, from making his profile with Sena after class, to getting ridiculous amounts of messages in a couple of days. He lets him see his inbox where men — and some women — of all ages talk to him in ways vulgar or romantic or in between, and he tells Hyunjin which ones were his favorites and what happened to make him delete or block others.

It’s so surreal, knowing that Felix actually _did_ what they’ve been joking about for most of their college life and that the outcome is so promising. How did Felix, the worst secret keeper in the world, manage to keep this from him for _weeks_?

Nothing is more shocking, though, than the conversation that Felix shows him after all of the backstory and evidence. A young guy from Queens named Changbin talks to Felix like he’s the most precious thing in the world; he doesn’t cheap out on the compliments but he doesn’t use so many that it would scare Felix off. He asks about his day, tells him goodnight and good morning every day without fail. His game is impressive. There’s some talk about “allowances” where Felix says he’s never done this before so he doesn’t really know what to ask for, and Changbin gives him a number that raises Hyunjin’s eyebrows to his hairline. 

“Felix, if this ends up being legit…” Hyunjin looks at him and admires the hopeful look on his face. Of course, Felix is absolutely gorgeous, funny, sweet, smart — the entire package. It’s not surprising to Hyunjin in the slightest that he’d have this many people trying to, like, court him and pay his bills. He just hopes that this guy isn’t trying to waste his time. Otherwise Hyunjin will be on the next bus to Queens.

“I feel good about it! I talked to some people that didn’t seem serious, and this guy seems different.” Felix takes his phone back and stuffs it back into his pocket before he leans against Hyunjin’s side, watching him go back to work on his assignment. “I guess we’ll find out on Saturday.”

Saturday comes and Hyunjin waits up for Felix, curled up on their couch with his laptop and countless games of Among Us until the locks in their front door start turning. Hyunjin ends his game quickly, surely pissing off his imposter partner who now has to work alone. He watches the door open and Felix slip inside. 

They’d spent hours getting him ready and he still looks so nice, so pretty and expensive in his sparkly blouse and tight pants and stacked jewelry. He turns around to press his back against the door and a bright, dreamy smile takes over his face. If Hyunjin looks closely enough, he can see where Felix’s eye makeup is a bit smudged, where his pink lip balm is smeared beneath his lower lip. He definitely looks like he had a good time.

“He ate me out until I cried,” Felix says after an agonizing moment. “And there’s a thousand dollars in my Cash app. We’re going out for lunch on Monday.”

The story that Felix tells him sounds like something straight out of a steamy romance novel, but the pure happiness in his grin says it’s true. He says he didn’t plan on anything _happening_ , so to speak, but he was already so attracted to Changbin that if things headed that way he wasn’t going to object. They’d met up for dinner at some crazy pricey restaurant in SoHo, hit it off so well that Felix agreed to go back to his place, and the rest is in the runny makeup on Felix’s face and the deposit to his bank account. Hyunjin is so stunned he can barely offer anything but a delighted smile and, “that’s fucking great, Lix.”

Felix drapes his legs across Hyunjin’s lap and lies against the armrest of their sofa, basking in the glow of what might have been the best orgasm of his life. “So, when are we making your profile?”

  
  
It takes Hyunjin a while to gain the confidence to make one. It's not like he doesn't think he'll be as successful as Felix; he doesn't have trouble scoring guys when he wants to, and he's got plenty of good attributes that would make him a great catch, if he can be bold. If anything he's nervous about creeps, or thinking he's meeting up with someone handsome and getting someone completely different, or trusting someone with an agreement and getting taken advantage of. Surely, Felix was nervous about all of that, too, and now he's going out with Changbin almost every other day and coming home with hickeys, new clothes, and deposits.

When Felix comes home with a new laptop to replace the one he's had since high school, the one notorious for shutting itself down in the middle of writing papers, Hyunjin knows he has to stop being timid about this. There's some guy out there that wants to treat him this well, too. He just has to find them.

This time it's Hyunjin coming into Felix's bedroom and flopping down on his bed, wordlessly staring at him like a pesky brother until he looks up from his textbook. He has his own busted laptop with him, not nearly as nice as the pristine Macbook perched on Felix's lap, but he's sure he can change that soon.

"Help me make a profile," he says, pushing his computer toward his roommate. "Oh master of sugaring."

The effort they put into Hyunjin's profile pays off quickly. They workshop a good bio and answer some of the site's corny little ice breakers to draw people in. He has tons of pictures to choose from, selfies and photos taken by Felix and other friends, and they choose a handful that, in Felix's words, " _show off how hot you are but suggest that you're even hotter in person._ " Hyunjin doesn't really know what that means until likes and messages come rolling in within a few hours.

He's in class when he gets the first suitor in his inbox, an unattractive man well older than him that calls him a _pretty doll_ , effectively making Hyunjin grimace and delete the message. He likes being called things like that from the right person, and he definitely wasn't it — is he allowed to be this picky so early on?

The hoards of messages he gets calling him much worse, some men calling him "exotic" and others offering vulgar declarations of what they'd like to do to him for $100, has him thinking he's definitely allowed to be picky. Sometimes, when he thinks he's getting somewhere, the profiles turn out to be bots or people trying to scam him, promising numbers with absurd amounts of zeroes if he gives them his bank account information. By the end of his first week with the account up, he's blocked more men than he's had meaningful conversations with. He wonders if it was this hard for Felix.

They're not all bad, to be fair. He ends up going on a couple of physical dates after pep talks from Felix, reassuring him that not every guy is gonna treat him like a piece of meat. That he'll never know what's out there if he doesn't go get it. So he gets dressed nicer than he has in a long time and lets a guy twice his age take him out for dinner on a Friday night, and he's really nice, but Hyunjin's not really into him. He gets good conversation and a free meal out of it, and gives the guy a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night. His first date has him feeling better about the whole plan.

Hyunjin's next date goes just as well, if not better, and he ends up going out with that same guy again because he liked him so much. He's nearly fifty but he's so sweet and very handsome, a nice face to look at from across the table. Hyunjin hadn't kissed him yet — he made a vow with himself not to kiss or anything on the first date otherwise he knows he'll get attached — but by the end of their second date, Hyunjin is accepting a kiss in the backseat of a chauffeured car. He tells him that he doesn't want to go any farther than that just yet and the guy says he's fine with it, but when he drops Hyunjin off at his apartment, Hyunjin doesn't hear from him again.

The worst experience so far is one where he goes out for drinks with a younger man, a business student at a university Hyunjin could only dream of, who can't shut up all night about how rich he is and how much money he's projected to make in the next five, ten, fifteen years. He doesn't ask a single question about Hyunjin, doesn't even let him respond half the time. Just spends the night reciting his autobiography and making the occasional offhand comment about how _sexy_ Hyunijn is.

Money is all well and good and sure that's what Hyunjin is mostly in this for, but it's that night, sitting at that little table at that stuffy, upscale bar that he realizes the money isn't worth being treated like this. He wants as much companionship and emotional support out of a potential "daddy" as financial security. This guy is hot and successful (he won't let Hyunjin forget it) but that's it. Hyunjin doesn't want that.

What gets to him more than that, though, is the end of their date. They're waiting outside for Hyunjin's Uber because he doesn't want the guy taking him home, and the older man apparently assumes that the end of a date means he's supposed to get something in return for treating Hyunjin. He even says as much, asking Hyunjin what he's going to give him since that's "part of the deal."

"Uh, I'm not _giving_ you anything," Hyunjin says, arms wrapped around himself to both protect himself from the cold night and to keep the guy from ogling the deep V of his blouse like he has been all night. "If you need me to pay you back for the drinks I will."

When the wannabe doctor presses himself into Hyunjin's personal space, hands going for his ass, Hyunjin loses it. He shoves the guy hard in the chest and starts walking away from the bar, pulling out his phone to ask his driver to pick him up somewhere else. He hears the guy calling after him and Hyunjin stops to say, "if you follow me, I'll stab you. I swear to god." He's got nothing to stab him with, but the threat works. He gets picked up a block away in front of an Italian restaurant.

He starts to get discouraged again.

Felix tries to cheer him up as much as he can. He bakes for him almost every night, takes him out to dinner himself and brings home little gifts that he knows will get a smile out of him. Tonight, Hyunjin is curled up in Felix's bed with him, letting the younger stroke his hair and rub his back while they watch a Ghibli movie that always makes Hyunjin cry. He scrubs the tears from his eyes that aren’t just falling because Ponyo loves Sasuke.

"Why is it so hard?" he mumbles into Felix's shirt. "Am I a bad person? Do I suck?"

Felix laughs, but it's more of a disbelieving sound than it is humorous. He looks down at Hyunjin with a frown. "No, you don’t. It _is_ hard. Everyone online makes it look easy because they cut out all the bad stuff. There's some really shitty guys out there."

Hyunjin sniffles. "But you found a good one so easily. He's amazing to you. How'd you—"

"It wasn't easy. I had some awful talks and even worse dates before I met Changbin. I didn't think I was going to find someone like him either. You just have to be patient, baby."

"I hate being patient."

When Felix laughs this time, it's a real one because of Hyunjin's melodrama. "I know you do. Do you wanna delete it? I can just be your sugar daddy."

Hyunjin finally laughs, a tiny giggle. Felix definitely has the means to take care of Hyunjin now if Hyunjin would let him. He barely lets him buy dinner or pay for their groceries and _god forbid_ he try to put more on their bills than he has to. This is Felix's money that he worked hard for, and Hyunjin doesn't want to take it from him.

He thinks about deleting the app for a long moment. As much as it's been kind of a nightmare, it's been kind of fun, too. He's met some decent people, and he guesses there's a lot of people he still hasn't even had the chance to meet or that he may have turned down when he was being picky. It's promising, even if he is feeling a little wary about it now.

Hyunjin shakes his head. "I'll try again. Thanks for letting me be a drama queen."

"It's what I'm here for."

He ends up turning the notifications off for the app and only checks it when he's bored or when he's waiting for his Uber home from campus. Hyunjin sits on the bench in front of the art building and sifts through messages and likes he hasn't seen yet. He responds to some and deletes others, and reaches out to some people who've liked him but haven't sent him anything. He's typing out a greeting to a 30-something chiropractor from Chelsea when his phone pings with a new message. The preview banner catches his attention enough to make him ditch what he's doing.  
  


**Minho & Chris:** Hi pretty! We just found your profile and wanted to say that you seem incredible. Would love to talk sometime if you're interested 🌹  
  


_We_ ? Hyunjin navigates to their page to investigate. Minho and Chris are a couple, a _married_ couple at that. One of them is black hair and broad shoulders, a sweet dimpled smile and kind eyes. He's got a chain on in every picture and something about that is extremely sexy to Hyunjin. He really likes his big nose. The other is dirty blonde hair, always perfectly coiffed, and the prettiest set of lips Hyunjin's ever seen. The way his eyes squint when he smiles reminds him a bit of a cat, even in the photos where they're behind big, round glasses.

They're both very well dressed in pieces that look more expensive than anything Hyunjin owns. They look gorgeous together, always wrapped around each other or kissing or gazing at each other like one hung the sun in the sky and the other hung the moon. The massive rock on the blonde's ring finger has Hyunjin's eyes blown wide.

Their bio says that they're 29 and 30 respectively; they describe themselves as a fun loving couple looking for someone special to share their love with. They like traveling, art, music, and notably _cats_ which makes Hyunjin smile to himself; he thinks to ask them if they have any as an ice breaker later. Minho is an architect and Chris is a lawyer, two careers that explain the huge wedding ring and their love of travel. Hyunjin's already interested in how hot they are and how nice they seem, and with their capability to take care of him and bring him into a lifestyle he's craving, he's sold.

He remembers his last date and how awful it was, and then remembers Felix’s neverending pep talks that came after. Hyunjin is a little nervous to try this again, especially with a married couple — he can only imagine what could come with a dynamic like that — but it sounds exciting. If anything, it’ll be a fun story to tell his friends. No one would ever believe it.  
  


**me:** Hi guys, I'm definitely interested ❤️ what's so incredible about me? ;)

It turns out that Minho is the blonde one, 29, and Chris is the dark-haired one, a year older. They really are as nice as they come off, talking with Hyunjin like everything he says is the most interesting or funniest or cutest thing they've ever heard. Most of the time, Hyunjin is texting with Minho while Chris is off at work, but sometimes he gets both of them at the same time and they sign their texts with whoever is speaking. 

It's a lot of fun talking with them; they're two different kinds of funny and two different kinds of flirty, too, but they both make Hyunjin laugh or blush equally. They ask how his day was and how school is going, and he asks them about work. They praise him for little victories, like the A Hyunjin gets on his typography project and he and his roommate’s attempts to try new recipes. They make him feel good.

They give little glimpses into their relationship and it's heartwarming to see how much they love each other, even just over text. Sometimes they’ll send him candid pictures of each other that they take throughout the day with captions like “Minho says he wants to cook for you,” or “Please tell Christopher to stop being so cute and go do the laundry like I asked an hour ago.” Hyunjin sends pictures back although they’re far less interesting with far less lavish backdrops, but they always coo over him like he’s made their day.

It's a very different dynamic than Hyunjin's had so far or ever expected to find on this site, but he's enjoying himself. They excite him in a way he hasn’t felt yet. He likes them a lot so far.

Hyunjin is picking up groceries after class, a bit distracted by chatting with Minho and Chris and stopping every few minutes to text them back, giggling all the while like a lovestruck kid. His phone buzzes a few times while he’s reaching to the top shelf to get the cereal Felix likes, and the messages waiting for him are some he wasn’t prepared for.  
  


**Minho & Chris:** Soooo sweetheart -Minho  
**Minho & Chris:** If you're available this weekend we'd like to take you out -Minho  
**Minho & Chris:** We really enjoy your company and we would love to meet you 🌹 Anything you want to do, our treat -Chris  
  


Hyunjin feels like a teenager being asked on their very first date. He's so excited that he doesn't even know what to say and unintentionally leaves them on read for a good hour until he gets home to ask Felix for help.

"Say yes?! Are you insane?" Felix stares at him like he's got two heads, shaking his own head as he goes back to washing dishes.

"Say yes how? I don't want to sound too eager, but I don't want to sound like I don't care." Hyunjin spins idly on his barstool where he's seated at the island, their conversation open on the counter in front of him.

"Jesus, Hyunjin, just say 'yes, I'd love to go out. Let's get food.'"

Hyunjin nods, typing it into their chat. He doesn't press send. "Should I say thank you?"

"Thank you for what?"

"I don't know, for wanting to go out with me."

Felix shoots him a look. "Can you stop acting like a weirdo? What are you, twelve? A virgin? Be normal!"

"I've never been normal in my entire life, Felix. I don't know how I'm supposed to start now."

Felix flicks water at him and turns back to the sink. He whines in Korean, "send the damn message, Hyunjin-ah."

So he does, and he waits with his hands folded in his lap for not even a full minute before his phone lights up with a response. He lets it sit for a second, too nervous and giddy to look until Felix says, "read the damn message, Hyunjin-ah."  
  


**Minho & Chris:** Sounds perfect angel -Minho  
**Minho & Chris: **What kind of food do you like? -Minho

 **me:** I'll eat anything! As long as I'm with you guys 💖

  
**Minho & Chris: **Awwwww baby -Chris  
**Minho & Chris: **You're so precious. Can't wait to meet you -Chris  
  


Hyunjin can’t keep the smile off his face. Chris makes a reservation at a Japanese place for Friday and assures him they’ll send a car to pick him up around seven. Hyunjin slides his phone away and rests his forehead on the cold countertop as a soft little scream comes from his chest. Felix takes his phone so that he can read the conversation and makes a pressurized noise, like he’s trying to hold in his excitement before he jumps all over him, shaking his shoulders and ruffling his hair. 

“They like you so much, Hyunjin. This is gonna be so good!”

Hyunjin doesn’t bother swatting him away. He remains limp against the island while Felix keeps shaking him and drumming his little hands on his back. He hopes he’s right.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anything our baby wants, our baby gets, yeah? Whatever you need, you’ve got it. We really like you and we have a lot of fun with you. We’d love to make this… you know, a thing.” Minho winces at himself, looking at Chris for help. “Why is this so nerve wracking? Jesus.”
> 
> Hyunjin can’t keep the smile off of his face and hates that he’s on the brink of tears. That would be so embarrassing. He remembers them saying that they’d had arrangements like this before, but they didn’t work out. Are they nervous because they’re afraid it won’t work with Hyunjin, that he’ll take their money and run like their past partners did? That he’ll get tired of their dynamic like others did? That he’ll get bored? Or do they really just like Hyunjin as much as he likes them and feel like teenagers asking their crush to go steady?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a long time since i posted the first chapter; i've been so busy with other projects that i hadn't had much time to sit down and think about this one, but i'm so excited to keep it moving and write more of it! i hope you enjoy this look into our hyuni's blossoming sugar baby life ♡

Hyunjin has tried on at least six outfits so far and none of them are hitting the way he wants them to. He looks good, but does he look _invite me into your marriage and shower me with attention and money_ good? Although he’s gotten a decent amount of monetary gifts from his past dates, he hasn’t necessarily been able to afford the designer pieces and thousand dollar shoes that Felix has, so he has to make do with what he’s got. He can’t fit Felix’s tiny clothes so he can’t borrow any, either, but the younger lets him go through his jewelry and expensive makeup and Hyunjin feels like a kid at a candy store. He can’t believe how much Felix has amassed in just a few months from this _one_ guy. 

He feels better as he’s giving himself a final check in the big mirror in the living room, far more confident than he did when he woke up this morning and remembered today was _the day_. They’ve gone for a simple, all black look spiced up with golden earrings and bracelets that have more diamonds on them than Hyunjin thinks he even deserves to hold, let alone wear. He turns to look at himself from behind and admires the way that his developing butt fills out his fitted black pants. Felix appears in his reflection with a proud smile on his face, like a parent sending their child off to prom. The younger blonde puts his hands on Hyunjin’s shoulders and kneads out any knots lurking in them.

“You look so pretty,” Felix beams, looking up at the real Hyunjin in front of him rather than the one in the mirror. “This is going to go so well, Hyuni. They already like you so much, and you’ve already impressed them, you know? So all you have to do is be yourself. Just like you always have.”

Hyunjin pushes out a steady breath between his lips and nods, playing with the rings on his fingers for the sake of something to fidget with. He was never this nervous for any of his other dates, which confuses him because he _did_ have to impress those people. Their opinion of him was riding on that first meeting, so shouldn’t he have been more nervous then? Minho and Chris already know him pretty well and enjoy his company enough to continue whatever this relationship is. They _already_ like him. So why does he feel like his heart is going to fall out of his ass?

Hyunjin’s phone buzzes in his hand and he sees a text from Chris saying that his ride should be out front, and that they can’t wait to see him. He sends back a ‘thank you!’ with a couple of hearts before he pockets his phone and grabs his coat from the rack by the door, Felix helping him slide it on. 

“Have fun, baby,” Felix sees him off, closing the door behind him.

Friday night traffic gets him to his destination in maybe forty-five minutes, enough time for Hyunjin to get his nerves together and calm down. The sweet texts he receives from Minho and Chris in their group chat encourage him to relax a lot, too, affirmations that they’re excited to finally meet him and that Chris won’t shut up about him, which Chris quickly tries to dismiss but only inspires Minho to tease him even more. By the time the chauffered car pulls up to the restaurant, some high-end sushi place in Manhattan, he feels silly for ever having been anxious. 

Hyunjin thanks the driver and stuffs his hands in the pocket of his coat for the walk up to the big, glass doors. A doorman lets him in and he bows his head politely in thanks to him, too, and finds himself so in awe of the restaurant’s atmosphere and decor that he doesn’t immediately realize the host is trying to ask him if he has a reservation.

“Oh, sorry! Yes, I’m meeting someone,” he says, tucking his blonde hair behind his ear for something to do with his embarrassed hands. “I think it’s under Bang-Lee.”

He checks his coat in and then follows the woman through the main floor and up some stairs, focusing on the massive lighting fixtures and the scenic waterfall installation built into one of the walls, so that he can’t focus so much on the butterflies stirring in his stomach.

The other dates he’s had were with prim and proper men that sat like princes and gave him once-overs as though they were sizing him up like prey. They were always in full suit and tie, pieces that probably cost more than Hyunjin’s rent, and often had stony auras around them that told Hyunjin he was lesser than them, that he needed them for something. He always felt so small. 

But as he approaches the long bar table occupied at the end by two youthful men giggling with each other over glasses of wine, one for each of them and then another in between them presumably for Hyunjin, he knows that this is going to be entirely different. Their body language is so comfortable and open, bright smiles and squinting, happy eyes as Minho reaches over to smack Chris in the arm, drawing more laughter out of both of them. They’re both dressed as what Hyunjin can only describe as business casual: Minho in a cardigan that’s a little too big and slim-fitting pants, and Chris in a silky button up with — are those _jeans?_ They look so normal, like two regular people on a regular, albeit very spendy, date. Hyunjin’s not sure if that makes his butterflies better or worse.

“Here you are,” the host says, essentially announcing Hyunjin’s presence to Minho and Chris who look up immediately and light up from within at the sight of him. Hyunjin thanks the host as the two men get up from their seats, rounding the table so they can greet him. He’s pulled into a tight hug by Minho who squeezes him like he missed him.

“Look at you! It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Minho exclaims, rubbing Hyunjin’s back before he pulls away to really look at him, his smile never faltering. Hyunjin can feel his face turning pink from the affection, accepting a kiss on the cheek that makes him feel like melting right through the floor. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, I—” Hyunjin giggles in the middle of whatever he’s trying to say. Minho is smaller than him, not so much that he has to get on his toes to hug him or anything, just a couple inches shorter, but feels small enough that Hyunjin’s arms envelop him like a blanket. “Wow. Hi.”

When Minho lets go of him, it’s only so he can be pulled into an equally warm embrace from Chris, who’s just as small as Minho. “Hi, Chris,” Hyunjin beams, both surprised and not by how strong Chris’ arms feel around him. He can tell that the two of them must work out quite a bit which Hyunjin doesn’t need to think about right now. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too, angel. So good to see you,” Chris’ accent makes Hyunjin raise his eyebrows; he can remember one of them saying, vaguely, that Chris lived in Australia for most of his life before they met in college. It’s funny how that forgotten conversation is smacking him in the face right now.

Hyunjin tucks his chin over Chris’ shoulder and lets himself be doted on by the both of them, Chris holding him close while Minho rests a gentle hand on his arm, giving it a soft squeeze. Chris gestures to the seat between the ones they’d been sitting in, and offers to pour Hyunjin a glass of wine once they’ve all sat down.

“How’s your day going, gorgeous?” Minho asks, taking a sip from his own glass and resting his elbows on the table, leaning forward just a little bit in a way that tells Hyunjin he has his full attention. That doesn’t make Hyunjin’s burning cheeks burn any less.

“Great! It’s great.” He leaves it at that because his past experiences have told him that that’s a small talk question that’s only asked to break the ice, not because his date actually wants to hear about it.

“Yeah? That’s good! You had class today?” Chris takes him by surprise, and Hyunjin blinks at him before nodding meekly. He figures the last thing that two hard-working adults want to hear about is his undergraduate adventures. But Minho makes an interested little hum, tilting his head.

“Yeah, um, just my photography workshop. A couple of hours every Friday.”

The hum Minho makes this time is an impressed hoot. “That’s right! We’re in the presence of a whole artist.”

Hyunjin hasn’t stopped smiling for a second, and it only heightens under their praise. “No, no, it’s not… it’s just a hobby.”

“But you’re majoring in graphic design, right? That’s just as valid of an art form as photography,” Chris assures him, leaning back in his seat comfortably. “So you’re a whole artist!”

Hyunjin laughs and shakes his head bashfully. “Minho is sitting _right here_ , and he’s a whole architect! We should be impressed by him.”

“We should be, and I expect us to talk about me for hours later,” Minho grins, that Cheshire cat grin that Hyunjin’s come to know and love spreading across his pink mouth. “But I want to talk about you first.”

And they do, chatting Hyunjin up about his class today and what he did, questioning what made him want to study photography in the first place. He mentions having some of his more professional photos in a folder on his phone if they’d like to see them, and the way that they enthusiastically move closer to peer at his phone makes Hyunjin feel so good. So important.

When the waitress comes over, she tops off their glasses with the remainder of the wine in the bottle and replaces it with a fresh one, popping the cork and setting it in the bucket of ice. It’s a display Hyunjin only saw in boring dramas about rich people having rich people dinner and buying bottles upon bottles of rich people wine. It’s wild to think that maybe _he_ looks like one of those rich people tonight.

“What are you gonna have, babe?” Chris asks, flipping through the menu. Hyunjin takes an idle sip of his wine and notices, when he goes to put his glass down, that all three of them are looking at him. He struggles to swallow under their attention.

“Hm?” he asks dumbly, and both Minho and Chris grin.

“What would you like to eat?” Chris restates, an amused smile on his full lips. Hyunjin blinks at him, for what feels like the millionth time tonight, in confusion and awe. 

“Oh, I— I thought you were talking Minho,” he laughs clumsily. He’s used to them calling him all kinds of sweet pet names over the phone, but hearing it in person… he guesses he wasn’t prepared for that. He really likes it. 

“Minho gets the same thing every time we come here because he’s boring and unoriginal,” Chris teases, laughing as his husband rolls his eyes and shakes his head at Hyunjin in a way that says, _this is what I have to deal with, are you sure you want in on this?_ And Hyunjin giggles in response because yes, he definitely does. “What looks good to you, Jin?”

Hyunjin gazes down at the menu in disbelief of not only the Japanese names he cannot read, but the prices that accompany them. Minho helps him put together a meal of nigiri and sashimi and talks him into trying the extremely overpriced bite of caviar, just for the experience. He laughs at the dramatic, scrunched up face Hyunjin makes at the prospect of having to eat it, and squeezes his arm fondly. 

Dinner goes amazingly. It’s not that he expected it to go poorly in the least; he adores Chris and Minho and could tell from the way that they treated him over the phone, in mid-day calls and late night texts, that they were going to treat him well in person. But the difference between the two of them and the past men he’s gone out with is so profound, it’s almost unbelievable. Where he found himself sitting and listening to his dates talk about themselves and their wealth for hours, only nodding along to show that he wasn’t _completely_ bored and checked out even though he definitely was, Minho and Chris keep him talking. They ask him about his aspirations and his goals, what he likes to do when he’s not doing schoolwork, his favorites and things he dislikes. They even ask him about Felix, how long they’ve been friends and how they met, what he’s like. 

In the back of his head, Hyunjin notes that they haven’t made a single pass at him, either. Sure, there’s lots of pet names and soft touches on his arms and hands, but they’re nice and not at all unpleasant like they were when grubby old men would caress him in some sort of attempt at seduction. The affection he gets from the two of them is comforting more than anything, and it makes him feel like he’s part of their relationship, in a way. Like, if the people around them were to look over at them, they’d think they were all together, or at least that Hyunjin scored himself not one but two boyfriends.

They haven’t seemed bored at any point, or interrupted him, and remarkably, haven’t brought up money once even though that’s a huge elephant in the room that they’re choosing to ignore. Maybe they don’t want to make Hyunjin uncomfortable by talking about finances or making him explain his financial needs. Maybe they’ve already grasped what he would need in terms of an allowance based on what he’s told them about school, his lifestyle, and his interests. Maybe they just aren’t seeing the money aspect of their arrangement as the most important — like they’re more than willing to give him whatever he wants or needs, but more than anything, they just like him. That makes Hyunjin’s heart do a funny thing.

Hyunjin sips the last of his wine while they wait for the waitress to come clean up and give them their bill. He feels full and satisfied, not only from the fantastic food, but from the company. Chris is filing through his wallet for a credit card — one of many, from the glimpse Hyunjin gets — when Hyunjin spots the shining ring on his finger. Curiously, he glances at Minho’s hand that boasts an identical ring, but there’s that massive diamond engagement ring settled snugly above it. He keeps getting reminders that they’re _married_ and not just a deeply intertwined pair of boyfriends, such as the way that they bicker and how they’ll reference little married couple things like whose turn it is to do the laundry and what they need to put on their grocery list. And, of course, the dazzling rings catching the overhead lights. Hyunjin finds them so endearing and so _sweet_ ; he’s intrigued to learn as much about them as they want to know about him.

“You guys have been married for five years, right?” Hyunjin asks, folding his hands in his lap.

“Five very long years,” Minho teases, wiggling his eyebrows at Chan who can’t interject because he’s too busy talking to the waitress, but he glances at Minho knowingly.

Hyunjin laughs softly. “How did you guys meet?”

“In college,” Minho answers, “We had a class together when I was in my sophomore year and he was obsessed with me.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Chan finally cuts in, grinning as Minho waves his hand dismissively. “I’m pretty sure you were the one ogling me everyday and threatening people’s lives just to sit next to me.”

Minho barks out a laugh. “I will fully admit to drooling over you but I rarely ever threatened anyone’s life. I just got to class early to make sure I would have my seat.”

“ _Your_ seat.”

Minho nods, casually taking a drink from his glass. “And then you took me to a party one weekend and I got an even better seat,” he winks at Chris, and Chris makes an embarrassed little noise, pinking up in the cheeks. “And it’s been my seat ever since.”

Hyunjin can’t help but to gaze at them affectionately, awed by how open and comfortable they are not only with each other, but with Hyunjin. If he’s honest, he doesn’t have the most positive view of marriage, but it’s not exactly negative, either. It’s neutral, really, only having his parents’ marriage to go off of and their relationship is about as boring as they come. They tolerate each other. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen them kiss each other, and their _I love yous_ were always very scarce, but they did happen. What Minho and Chris have, though — if he ever gets married, he wants to be happy and light-hearted and fun-loving like them. Married to someone who’s his best friend.

“How’d you propose, Chris?” he asks, delighted by the way Chris gets even more bashful. The eldest of the three of them is getting sheepish now that the attention is on him, and for something so sentimental. It doesn’t help that Minho is batting his eyelashes at him expectantly, and Hyunjin does the same, making Chris let out the cutest of giggles. 

“It took me forever. I’d been wanting to do it for about a year at that point, but I couldn’t think of the perfect way to do it. Minho’s not very easy to impress, so it was _really_ important to me that I impress him. So I thought I should do it somewhere and sometime he wouldn’t expect it. But I think he was waiting on me to propose, so he was always kind of expecting it.” Chris side-eyes Minho who smiles and shakes his head.

“Of course I wasn’t. My heart was absolutely not beating out of my chest every time you reached into your pocket or tried to hide things from me around the house.”

“You also didn’t ask my mom if I had ever mentioned anything about rings, which definitely didn’t enable her to pester me even more about proposing than she already had been.” Chris reaches over to rest his hand on Minho’s that’s lying on the table, squeezing it lightly. “Uh, so for his birthday I took him to this place in Japan with this _very specific_ bamboo forest he saw in a book once. I had to do so much research to find out where it was. But, yeah, I… we were getting ice cream in the village and he was eating his and I thought, ‘ _he would never expect me to do it right now. Right this second_.’ So I did it. He was pissed because he was eating but I think he was pretty impressed.”

Minho’s got hearts in his eyes when Hyunjin looks at him, but Hyunjin knows he does, too. He shakes his head, astounded. “God, that’s so romantic. Did he cry?”

“No,” Minho says at the same time that Chris says, “yes.” They look at each other and Chris bursts out laughing, Minho trying his hardest to keep a straight face but ending up laughing, too. 

“He cried like a little baby. Don’t listen to him. He was literally inconsolable.”

Minho scoffs. “Say it a little louder, why don’t you. Ruin my reputation.”

Hyunjin laughs, too, and rests a comforting hand on Minho’s knee. “That’s why I asked _you_ , Chris. I knew Minho wouldn’t tell me the truth.”

Minho gasps and playfully pushes Hyunjin in the shoulder. “What!”

“He already knows what an unreliable narrator you are, honey,” Chris teases, signing the bill when the waitress brings it back. “That’s pretty sad for you.”

“But he likes me anyway, right, Hyuni?” Minho gives him a grin that’s equal parts charming and mischievous as he stands up, leading Hyunjin to stand as well. He beams at him as he nods, walking with the two of them toward the stairs to get to the main floor. 

“I do. I like you both.”

There’s a little bar downstairs where they have another drink each, standing around a small table that looks like a piece of art outside on the patio. They talk some more over colorful, pricey cocktails and a simple beer for Chris, and Hyunjin realizes that the only other person he’s ever been able to talk to nonstop for who knows how long is Felix. He asks them about their wedding and stares at them with starstruck eyes when he tries to visualize it, the lavish ceremony they’d had somewhere in France and how handsome they both must have looked. They promise to show him photos some time, and Hyunjin can’t wait.

He realizes, too, that while he’s been keeping them talking about themselves and their marriage so much, he’s been stealthily keeping them from making him talk about himself, as shy as he is. But they catch on, and get him divulging as much as he wants to share. It’s a nice balance.

The only reason that their date has to come to an end is because it’s nearing midnight and Hyunjin still has reading to do for class tomorrow and an online quiz to complete. He feels kind of immature having to tell them that, but they understand completely considering they were students once, too. They offer to call him another ride, or to drop him off at home themselves, whatever he’s more comfortable with. He accepts their proposal to leave all together, and follows them to grab their coats and then head to the parking garage.

Minho and Chris’ car is as impressive as Hyunjin expected and then some. Minho slips into the back seat so that Hyunjin can sit up front with Chris, listening to some rap album that Hyunjin finds he really likes and never imagined to be their taste in music. He watches the city pass in multi-colored streaks of light through his window, and sends Felix a quick text to let him know he’s on his way back when he notices that they’re nearing his neighborhood.

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Hyunjin says shyly when Chris pulls up to the curb in front of his apartment building. He looks down at his hands, twisting one of the gold rings he borrowed from Felix, moving it from one long finger to another. “Thank you for taking me out.”

“Thank you for giving us the honor,” Chris turns to face him, leaning his back against the driver’s side door comfortably. “I really enjoy your company. I know Minho does, too.”

As if the sound of his name summoned him, Minho sits forward in his seat behind Hyunjin so he can rest his chin on the shoulder of Hyunjin’s seat, looking up at him with sparkling, benevolent eyes. “Of course I do. I’m happy we met you, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin can feel the apples of his cheeks being to tingle when he looks up at them, from one kind face to the other, and then back down at his hands as primrose engulfs him. “I’m happy I met you guys, too.”

Minho makes a pained noise, resting his forehead against the seat in devastation. “God, you’re _so_ cute. He’s too cute, Chris. What are we going to do?”

Chris sighs. “Not sure.” Hyunjin looks up because the tone of his voice changed a little, and he worries, briefly, that they really don’t know what to do with him. Hyunjin’s never been refused because he was _too_ cute. But a sweet smile spreads across Chris’ thick lips, and his tone is gentle again. “All we can do is hope he’ll let us take him out again.”

“And again and again and again,” Minho agrees, and Hyunjin can tell he’s smiling before he even turns to look over his shoulder at him. “Unless we’re too old and boring for him.”

Hyunjin gasps like that’s the most appalling thing he’s heard in his life. “You guys aren’t boring at all! Old, maybe…” he’s cut off by their offended groaning, Minho smacking him in the arm and making Hyunjin throw his head back with laughter.

“We can’t all be twenty-one and youthful, Hyunjin!” Chris gripes between laughs of his own, reaching out to lightly push Hyunjin’s leg. “Some of us are thirty and dying.”

Minho cackles like he’s not just a year younger, “speak for yourself, old man.”

He returns his attention to Hyunjin, not done giving him hell just yet. “And here we were, going to ask you to be our baby. What a brat,” Minho smirks, resting his chin on Hyunjin’s seat again. Hyunjin feels butterflies swarm his stomach when Minho says that, much more intense than they have been all night. 

So he… passed? Not that this first date was a test to be aced, but he wanted to make a good impression on them for this exact reason — to seal the deal. To make their relationship into something official. Even though they’ve made it very obvious all night that they’re into Hyunjin, knowing that they’re serious about him makes him feel on top of the world.

“You… you want me to be your baby?” he asks, all hope of seeming cool and unaffected by this absolutely lost to the timid tone of his voice, the way it dies at the end. Hyunjin’s gone on quite a few dates, but only one other person has wanted to see him again. He wasted so much time waiting for texts back from men that he didn’t even like, just hoping that they found him good enough. At the end of the day it became more important that some rich white guy validate him and his looks and find him pretty enough to spoil. What do Minho and Chris see in him that no one else did?

“Of course, sweetheart,” Chris says with his hand still warmly on Hyunjin’s knee. “If that’s something you’re still interested in with us. If you’d… like to give us the chance, we would take very good care of you.”

“Anything our baby wants, our baby gets, yeah? Whatever you need, you’ve got it. We really like you and we have a lot of fun with you. We’d love to make this… you know, a thing.” Minho winces at himself, looking at Chris for help. “Why is this so nerve wracking? Jesus.” 

Hyunjin can’t keep the smile off of his face and hates that he’s on the brink of tears. That would be so embarrassing. He remembers them saying that they’d had arrangements like this before, but they didn’t work out. Are they nervous because they’re afraid it won’t work with Hyunjin, that he’ll take their money and run like their past partners did? That he’ll get tired of their dynamic like others did? That he’ll get bored? Or do they really just _like_ Hyunjin as much as he likes them and feel like teenagers asking their crush to go steady?

“I would love to,” Hyunjin says, smiling bright enough to outshine the sun. “Seriously, I would love that so much. I— I really like you guys. Yeah.”

There’s relief on all of their faces, and then there’s pure, unfiltered excitement. He can’t wait to see them again.

Felix is waiting up for Hyunjin, sitting on the couch doing homework, in the same spot that Hyunjin had waited in for Felix to come back from his first date with Changbin months ago. He perks up when the door opens and pulls one of his earbuds out, pushing his laptop away and opening his arms for Hyunjin, making grabby hands at him.

“Come here, come here! Tell me all about it!” Felix beams, watching Hyunjin step out of his shoes and hang up his coat. Hyunjin almost wants to make himself look dejected as if the date went horribly so he can trick Felix and surprise him when he tells him it went fantastically, but he can’t stop smiling long enough to play it off. He walks over to the sofa and crawls into Felix’s arms, cuddling up to his side with his arms around his waist. “You look happy…”

Happy is an understatement. Hyunjin looks up at Felix and bites down on his lip. “It was so nice, Lix. So nice. They’re so... God, they’re _so nice_. Everything was so amazing. The restaurant was amazing, and the food, and them— they’re so fucking sweet and funny and romantic. You wouldn’t believe how perfect they are.”

Felix rubs his back in soft, loving circles as he talks. He looks down at his best friend with stars in his eyes, hanging onto his every word while he elaborates on what the restaurant was like, and all the things they’d talked about, and how absolutely in love Minho and Chris are. He doesn’t have a spicy story to tell about getting eaten out on silk sheets, but still the elation on Felix’s face reflects exactly how Hyunjin feels, almost like Felix was there with him. 

“So…” Felix singsongs, tilting his head hopefully. “Is there a second date in the future?”

Hyunjin tries to build the suspense, but ends up letting out an excited little noise as he nods quickly, “they asked me to be their baby.”

Felix gasps hard enough to suck all the air out of the room. He playfully pushes Hyunjin off of him, wide eyes and dropped jaw, and then pulls him back in for an aggressive hug. “No fucking way, Hyunjin!” All Hyunjin can do is let himself be smothered by Felix and giggle wildly, trying to shield himself from the onslaught of Felix’s tiny fists. “I knew it! I knew it was going to be perfect. My baby!”

As Hyunjin replays the scene for him, how they’d seemed so shy and that phrase Minho had said so charmingly, _anything our baby wants, our baby gets_ , a familiar ping from his phone makes him stop mid-sentence. It’s the sound of coins being dropped on a surface, loud and clear, and Hyunjin pulls his phone from his back pocket slowly. There’s a banner notifying him of a deposit made to his account, a couple thousand dollars from _Christopher Bang-Lee_ with a note saying, “thanks for a lovely date 💕 -M&C.”

Deposits like that become a regular thing, always unexpected but always so appreciated. Hyunjin gets them randomly in class, sometimes with memos telling him to “have a nice day” or “have a big lunch” and sometimes without, little surprises just because. It’s incredible, especially how they’ll drop him a hundred dollars first thing in the morning and call it “coffee money,” or a few hundred more by the time he’s out of work or a lecture with a wish for him to get dinner for Felix and himself. 

It’s an exciting part of his days, but it’s not more exciting than the way that they text him even more now that they’re official, or how often they talk on the phone. Even better than that, though, is the in-person meetups they get to have now. 

He’ll meet up with them a couple of times a week to grab coffee, or lunch, or to take a walk here or there. He rarely gets them together, though, since they both work so often and all three of their schedules don’t always mesh perfectly. He tends to hang out with Minho in the daytime, mornings after class and afternoons when the architect doesn’t have any meetings or is caught up on projects for the day. Meeting Chris usually happens at night, when the lawyer is done with work and Hyunjin’s homework isn’t dire. One on one like this, he gets to find out more about their personalities individually, and he finds that their personalities complement his and each other’s so wonderfully. 

The weekends are prime time for all three of them to be able to go out together, and they’ll go to high end bars, get dinner, and check out art exhibits and scenic places around New York that Hyunjin’s never been able to check out himself. It’s astonishing how every single date is better than the last; they make his days and nights so much more exciting.

The way that they encourage his studies makes school better, even; he finds himself more motivated to get up and go to class, doing his homework the day it’s assigned rather than waiting until the day it’s due. It’s the way that they praise him for jobs well done and jobs not so great, how they keep him on track with studying by reminding him he’s got an exam in however many days or how he’d mentioned needing to do a paper for whatever class. When he does extra well, like gets a great grade or drags his ass to class even though he really doesn’t want to, the reward is always well worth it. And he doesn’t just mean the one that comes with a dollar sign — their kind words about how proud they are of him are priceless.

As much as they love to spoil Hyunjin with food and money and flattery, Hyunjin rarely ever asks for anything. It’s not that he doesn’t _want_ things, but he figures he can just buy them with his allowance and never have to explicitly ask them to get things for him. He doesn’t really know _how_ to ask, for one thing, and for another, he respects them too much to come out and beg for things like a privileged child. Privileged is far from the way that Hyunjin grew up, and indulging in a lifestyle where he can have just about anything he wants is going to be hard to get used to.

He can tell that they want him to come out and just ask for things, but he can't bring himself to do it, or find the words. They were out at a gallery showing for one of their artist friends and Hyunjin had made a few comments about how he really liked a certain painting. They were fully prepared to buy it for him, but the price tag had Hyunjin refusing. He'd made excuses about how he wouldn't have anywhere to put it in his apartment, and how a piece like that deserved to be in a way more lavish home than his, where people would actually see it. It's obvious every time that Hyunjin compliments something they're wearing and they offer to get him his own. It was especially obvious when he'd complained benignly about how his laptop was acting up and he finally got that new MacBook he'd been eyeing, a couple of days later without even having to ask.

Hyunjin is curled up in bed with said new laptop, watching an episode of a show Chris put him onto with a fresh sheet mask on his face, when his phone rings on his bedside table. He has to unravel himself from his blanket cocoon to grab it, and finds Minho's name and contact picture: a selfie of him and Hyunjin on one of their coffee dates. He smiles to himself as he brings it to his ear, pausing his show with the spacebar.

"Hi," he answers, pulling his knees to his chest and picking at a thread in his duvet, hands always restless when he talks to one of them on the phone because they make him too giddy.

"Hi, angel," Minho says, voice vibrant like he's excited to talk to him, the way he always responds. He sounds a little far away and a little out of breath, ambience of the city in the background. "Did I interrupt you?"

"No! I'm just watching that show again," Hyunjin laughs airily. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving the office now, trying to remember where the hell I parked."

"Uh oh, don't get lost!"

There's a loud car horn, and Minho mutters a curse beneath his breath. "Don't get hit by a car, more like. I jaywalk across this street every day, and every day someone tries to kill me."

Hyunjin giggles, shaking his head even though Minho can't see it. "The absolute nerve."

"I know! Listen, I was calling to see if you're free today."

It's Saturday and Hyunjin is all caught up on his schoolwork, so his schedule is wide open. Felix is doing something with Changbin tonight, or else he's sure they'd be hanging out later, but it's just him and his show for the night. "I am! Something fun happening?"

"Chris has this big trial next week and thinks he's allowed to wear a suit he already has, which..?" Minho trails off, baffled by the idea that his husband could be an outfit repeater. "Why would you wear a suit you've already worn to a different trial _knowing_ you're going to be photographed? Do you want a husband, Hyunjin? Have him. I'm tired. Exhausted."

Hyunjin laughs, "You'd miss him too much. Is it a nice suit, at least?"

"It's very nice. He looks so good in it, he— it doesn't matter, because he's not wearing it!" The sound of his car alarm deactivating, and then the door opening and shutting. It's quieter now and Hyunjin can hear him more clearly. "I'm making him go shopping for a new one once he's out of work. Do you want to come? We can get lunch after?"

Hyunjin smiles to himself. It's been a few weeks since he's been able to hang out with Chris and Minho at the same time. "Yeah, of course! I always wanna see you."

Minho coos. "Cutie. I'll pick you up in a little bit."

Hyunjin combs through a rack of black suits, unsure what he should be looking for because they're all identical. Minho has Chris in the dressing room trying another one on while he files through a rack a few feet away from Hyunjin, looking determined and critical of each one. Hyunjin squints at one, trying to identify what makes it different from the twenty others he's looked at; he can see the differences when they're actually on Chris, the various silhouettes and lapel shapes, but on the hanger, it's just black cloth. Smooth, costly, black cloth.

"That one's nice," Minho says suddenly, startling Hyunjin out of his futile train of thought. He looks up to find Minho coming over to him, gently taking the sleeve of the garment Hyunjin is holding. "What is that, wool? That's really nice."

Hyunjin blinks, and laughs when Minho looks at him. "I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm looking at."

Minho smiles, softly nudging Hyunjin's arm with his own. "It's kind of boring, right? It's worth it when you see how good his ass looks."

Chris comes out of the dressing room in a suit that seems like it was designed to fit his body and his body only. The tailored jacket he's wearing cinches in just enough at the waist, and the crisp, white collar of the shirt beneath combined with his silky black tie and the matching pants, a deep grey plaid print like the jacket, makes him look so sharp. Criminally handsome, ironic to his career choice.

"Oh my god," Hyunjin says before he can catch himself, pressing his fingertips lightly to his own lips to quiet himself. Is he allowed to be ogling Chris like this? With his whole husband right next to him? "Is that a real life model?"

"It has to be," Minho says, sighing like Chris' attractiveness is a burden to his life. "Trial cancelled on account of the defense attorney being too sexy."

Chris looks composed and cool for all of a moment, checking himself out in the big mirror with his hands in his pockets, before their praise reduces him to a crinkly-eyed, giggling mess, pink in the cheeks. "You like this one?"

Minho looks over at Hyunjin who's still regarding Chris with wide eyes and raised brows. The architect laughs, looping his arm through Hyunjin's and squeezing. "That is definitely a fan favorite. Turn around?"

Chris does as he's told, turning so his back is to them, and his entourage hisses in pain. Minho pinches the bridge of his nose, averting his eyes. "Look at his ass, Hyunjin. Lord have fucking mercy."

Hyunjin nods solemnly. "It's a good ass. It's a really good ass."

If Chris goes any redder, he's surely going to pass out. "Stop," he whines, turning back around and hanging his head bashfully. "I'm sure it's not _that_ good."

"You’re delusional," Hyunjin proclaims, making Chris' eyebrows go up to his hairline in amusement and Minho laugh much too loudly for the formal store. He reaches out to maneuver Chris by the shoulder, getting him to turn around again. "Really, Chris. You have no idea what we're looking at right now."

"Do you like it, baby?" Minho asks him, still laughing. Chris studies his reflection again, shifting on his feet this way and that to see how the suit looks from different angles.

"I do. I feel good. It looks pretty nice," Chris says, always so modest. He looks at Hyunjin with a mirthful grin. "What do you think, Jin?"

Hyunjin tips his head to the side and nods. "I think it's perfect."

"The jury has spoken," Minho declares, reaching down to smack Chris on the butt. "This is the one."

Minho pays for the suit and Chris and Hyunjin wait outside, finishing off the coffee they'd gotten beforehand but had to leave at the front of the store while they shopped. Hyunjin gazes aimlessly down the busy street, a long strip in Midtown that Hyunjin feels like he's not even allowed to be on. Everyone that walks past him looks like a character in a reality show, filthy rich housewives and artsy influencers and hurried businessmen. He's started acquiring a wardrobe nicer than the big hoodies and sweatpants he usually wears, considering that before he met Minho and Chris, and Felix met Changbin, they didn't really go anywhere other than campus. So he feels pretty well put together today, almost as fashionable as his company.

"You wanna go look around?" Chris asks, assuming that the way Hyunjin is gazing in astonishment at all of the designer stores is a hint that he wants to shop. Hyunjin looks at him in surprise, nearly choking on a tapioca pearl he accidentally inhales through his straw.

"No, that's okay! I don't need anything."

It's the wrong time for Minho to join them outside, stopping in his tracks with a YSL shopping bag in his hand. "What's he being humble about now?"

Chris tsks. "He says he doesn't want to shop because he doesn't need anything."

Minho looks at him like he just said he doesn't want to breathe air, or something. "You don't have to need it, Hyuni. What our baby wants, he gets."

Hyunjin whines, a long, disagreeing hum. Even though the whole reason he met the two of them in the first place was because he wanted to be wined and dined, there's a part of him that feels kind of guilty every time they spend their money on him. They could be spending it on more important matters, like themselves or their cats, or donate some more to all the charities they frequent, even if they already donate quite a lot. Hyunjin just feels... a little selfish. Like he's waiting for his mother to show up and scold him for taking advantage.

"Where do you want to go, sweetheart?" Minho pulls his sunglasses out of the inside pocket of his coat and slides them on. Hyunjin pouts, pretending to be too occupied with his drink.

"He was looking at Prada pretty hard," Chris suggests, glancing at Hyunjin mischievously before looking away, shit-eating grin on his face.

"I was not! Snitch," Hyunjin frowns, cheeks warming up. Chris just winks at him, leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

Minho holds his free hand out to Hyunjin expectantly, and when Hyunjin doesn’t take it, he flings his arm out more insistently. “Hwang Hyunjin, if you want to go to Prada, we are going to go to Prada,” he says in quick Korean, “stop being bad.”

Hyunjin whines again, but it’s riddled with giggles as he takes Minho’s hand and lets himself be pulled down the street, Chris following behind in a fit of laughter of his own. “I’m not being bad, hyung,” he protests.

“Yes you are. I’m gonna make you go to _five_ stores if you don’t stop it.”

He tries to be good, and by Chris and Minho’s standards, being good is giving into the temptation to pick up whatever he likes and ask them to buy it for him. He does grab a few things and tries them on, falls in love with a couple, and allows Chris to hold them so they can be purchased later. He ends up buying a couple of shirts and a jacket from Prada but that’s not up to their ideal of _good_ , so they drag him to a few more stores just like Minho had threatened.

When he's still being timid at the third store they bring him into, they decide that they're going to just start grabbing things that they think Hyunjin would like or look nice in, and if he shows a positive reaction, they're going to buy it for him. It's overwhelmingly flattering, not only that they're so adamant about spoiling him, but watching them discuss what garments they think would look good on Hyunjin and _why_ makes him feel infinitely more special than he could even begin to fathom. It feels amazing to be the center of their attention like this.

"Can I ask a stupid question?” Hyunjin asks when they’re finally out to lunch, seated at a table outside beneath a big, black umbrella. It’s pretty warm for late fall, and they decide they want to take advantage of it before winter starts to blossom. Chris mentioned, when they first sat down out here, that Hyunjin’s blonde hair looks pretty in the sunlight, and Minho said something about how his brown eyes looked golden. They make him want to melt into a big Hyunjin puddle on the concrete.

“There’s no stupid questions,” Chris counters, cutting into his steak, “but go ahead, babe.”

Hyunjin pushes his salad around on his plate as he tries to think of the right words. “I know you guys are, like… my… candy fathers,” he says, not wanting to explicitly call them his ‘sugar daddies’ in public where nosy people might overhear. He gets laughs out of them for that, which eases his anxiety. “And a huge point of our relationship is you wanting to… take care of me. But how come you’re so, like, adamant about buying me gifts? Not that I don’t appreciate it! Because I do, so much. It’s just that you already spend so _much_ on me and I feel bad letting you buy me things, too, so… I don’t know.”

Minho looks at him with a kind of sadness in his eyes, setting his fork down. “You’re really not used to this, are you?”

Hyunjin shakes his head, finding it a little hard to make eye contact now. When they first started talking and Minho and Chris asked him why he was interested in this lifestyle, he didn’t really think telling them _‘I grew up struggling, I want to know what it’s like to have whatever I want, I don’t ever want to feel like I’m struggling again_ ,’ was a good move for his dignity. Instead, he’d told them that college life is expensive and that he hated his old waiter gig that he, luckily, got to quit about a month ago now that he doesn’t need it. It’s understandable that the refusal to be spoiled he’s been showing so far is starting to raise concern. He really hopes they don’t ask.

“We want to take care of you because you deserve that,” Chris says. Hyunjin can feel him gazing at him sincerely. “We like you and we like spoiling you however we can. There’s something a little more… personal? About buying you things that you want. The difference between giving you a gift card at Christmas and getting you something special that you’ve been wanting. It’s nice to make you happy that way.”

Hyunjin finally looks up at them, and hates that his eyes are starting to burn. They’re both looking at him fondly, and Minho reaches to rest his hand on top of Hyunjin’s, rubbing it softly with his thumb.

“You look so gorgeous when you’re happy, sweetheart. We like making you happy.”

“Makes us feel kind of proud when we see you wearing something we bought you, you know? I don’t know. ‘Wow, that’s from us and he looks so nice in it.’ Like we cuffed you, or something.”

Hyunjin is the one laughing now, reorienting his and Minho’s hands so he can put his on top, squeezing it affectionately. “Like I’m all yours, huh?”

“All ours. Our pretty baby Hyuni,” Minho coos, wrinkling his nose at him cutely, trying to get him to squirm. It works, but Hyunjin can do one better.

He leans back in his seat and goes back to eating, delving into the lobster-whatever the waiter suggested since he’s never eaten here and was pretty overwhelmed by the menu. He smirks to himself, leaning his chin on his hand as he chews. “I think if I’m all yours, it’s only fair that I get to cuff you guys, too. All mine.”

He doesn’t elaborate, just leaves them blushing and confused as they continue eating their lunch. They take him home and Chris helps bring his countless shopping bags to the door, bidding him goodbye with a hug. Hyunjin gives him a kiss on the cheek, just like he’d given Minho in the car before he got out. Felix isn’t there when he gets into the apartment, so he has to wait until later that night to show him his haul. The younger blonde spreads out on Hyunjin’s bed and watches him model each piece, suggesting pants and shoes that would go nicely with them. 

“Rich looks so good on you, Hyunjin-ah,” Felix drawls, watching his best friend spin around in front of the mirror to observe how the light reflects off of his new silk top. “We really live like this.” He seems to look off into space, idly playing with a ring on his finger. “Should we start looking for nicer apartments?”

Felix sends him Zillow listings over the next few days, and they agree to compare their schedules later on to see when they can fit in some showings. 

In the meantime, Hyunjin takes an Uber back to Midtown one evening after class and hushes his imposter syndrome before heading into the Cartier store. He decides to ask the worker that’s been following him around everywhere if she can help him pick something out, and leaves with two identical white gold necklaces strung with three interlocked, diamond-studded rings. When he texts the group chat to ask Chris and Minho what they’re doing tonight, they’re none the wiser of the little gift bags Hyunjin is going to bring with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see in the future chapters~

**Author's Note:**

> catch me on [nsfw twitter](https://twitter.com/lNNlEC0RE) for updates, sneak peeks, and drabbles~


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